Test
by Zoey Overbeck
Summary: She stared at what lay ahead of her, only blinking once in disbelief before she opened her mouth and whispered so quietly that Chase did a double-take to make sure she actually spoke. "Why?" The tension in the air broke. Onesided Chaimiko, implied Raikim


**AN: **I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing or why I'm doing this! :)

Update 2/3/12: Fixed errors, added a few hundred words.

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><p>It all began as a simple test, really.<p>

After the appointment of a Shoku leader amongst the band of monks, Chase Young had personally seen to it that the Xiaolin dragons would receive more of a challenge whilst performing their normal routines. He saw it as a way to toy with the warriors in addition to inadvertently preparing them for whatever challenges Hannibal Roy Bean would pose in the future.

First was the Shoku leader himself- he dispatched a few of his fallen warriors to periodically attack him one day while he was training alone.

Next, the dragon of Earth and clearly the most levelheaded of the team, found himself facing a barrage of psychological terrors.

Omi woke up one midnight to have his arch nemesis flying towards him with a fist extended. The resulting fight lasted for the remainder of the night.

Lastly was the dragon of fire- he kidnapped her friends a few days after his attack on Omi while they were separated during a Xiaolin Showdown.

With fury to fit the firepower of her element, Kimiko stormed his stronghold, wrecked his lair, and even set some of his jungle cats' tails on fire before demanding that he release her friends. He really had to ask her how she managed to pull that off, especially when they normally did not take elemental damage.

There was a showdown, of course, but the only way that Kimiko won was by sheer luck alone- that, and the fact that he was nearly blinded when she practically coated her entire body in flames while she performed her signature move.

So, the defeated Prince of Darkness watched them leave his ruined palace, feeling a strange feeling that he had not felt in over 1,500 years all the while resolving to do whatever it would take to get that adrenaline rush once again.

A week later, and Hannibal rose against the monks once more, assaulting the monastery. This time, however, he was paired up with a few of the more competent villains and with the advantage of a few Shen Gong Wu's powers such as the Shadow of Fear, had nearly managed to kill all four of the teenagers. Thanks to the sharpened skills gathered from Chase's attacks, they barely managed to repel the attacks. They obviously had shown signs of improvement, as each had used their abilities related to their element to the fullest.

Raimundo excelled in agility and speed, Clay had expertise in defense against physical and emotional attacks, Kimiko triumphed in attacking, and Omi specialized in using his water element to heal his wounded teammates- an ability that he was taught while under Chase's servitude and just had recently put to use.

From far away atop a cliff-side, Chase observed how each elemental dragon used their powers to defend one another and started to plan another round of tests for the four warriors. The initial tests evolved into a game, however, with Chase's urge to relentlessly challenge and toy with the monks disgracefully turning into sense of playfulness.

To the Heylin warrior, the particular dragon of fire was a mystery to him, somebody who stood out amongst the other three. For someone to be so outspoken about her opinions hardly talk to him (even if it was a taunt or insult) while constantly vocalizing her opinions to the lowlife named Spicer -even if it was just senseless screaming- was a blow to his pride.

So a new beginning was created in the wake of the eternal battle between Heylin and Xiaolin, one that was neither malevolent nor benevolent.

He would find a way to kidnap her friends, battle one on one with Kimiko, and then let her and the other monks go. But she still remained reticent in his presence, even after the same routine continued for weeks at a time. It was purely mechanical on her terms, a touch and go reaction. He would somehow coax her to come to his lair -by now, the monks had gotten wise to his antics and hardly went outside without the company of each other-, silently watch her destroy part of his home in her rampage, battle with her and then let them go.

Though he would never admit it, he actually enjoyed fighting with her, matching fire against fire, and pitting their wits against each other. Raimundo had taught her some of his tricks, however, which made their prank war a little more interesting, to say the least. He still wouldn't live the memory of how she painted his Heylin armor a bright, obnoxious pink. Spicer had chosen to walk in at that unfortunate time and quickly took a picture of him in it. The photo spread virtually though the maze of the internet and now a certain Heylin warrior was currently the laughingstock of the world.

He couldn't blame her, however; after all, he had destroyed her PDA and laptop during one event, and she was more than happy to kill his reputation as a stoic, dignified fighter. Still, it was pretty amusing- to her, at least- to see the effects of her work. Revenge was best served cold, after all.

Even with the various ruses they dealt out with each other, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he had gained a sense of mutual trust and friendship with the young monk that she wouldn't have allowed to her teammates she ate and worked with. He knew that the relationship would be one sided, at best; she would most likely think that a 1,500-plus year old martial arts master having a slight crush on her would be downright creepy at best. Besides, she had already garnered a relationship with the dragon of wind, a Brazilian that was both naturally jealous and a womanizer.

Perhaps, though, if Raimundo did leave her for someone else, she would come to him, and he would be there to comfort her. Until then, he would always be waiting for her with a bowl of Lao Mang Long soup and plans to rule the world.

The weeks that followed were bliss, and Chase often reverted back to the same thought pattern, often catching himself preoccupied with how to pull off his next trick. The simple equation that defined their weird friendship also dictated their thoughts. It was on the very first anniversary of his tests when a new variable was brought into the equation, however.

"I suppose you expect a fight, young dragon" he called from the top of a marble stairwell, his hands behind his back. "However, you should be pleasantly surprised- I have came across one of your childhood mementos while scouting for a suitable place to utterly destroy that_ Spicer_ pest once and for all."

He brought his hands forward, and Kimiko's curiosity gave way to shock. It was the doll she had when she was a young child. The eye on its half-melted face appeared to leer at her, causing the teenager to internally squirm in horror. Chase wordlessly watched her reaction. Her facial expressions were mixed, but the most prominent ranged from surprise and fear to disgust.

She stared at what lay ahead of her, only blinking once in disbelief before she opened her mouth and whispered so quietly that Chase did a double-take to make sure she actually spoke.

"Why?"

The tension in the air broke. She looked to him for an answer, but he was too dumbstruck to respond. She actually had spoke to him in the three hundred0 plus days since he had started it all. For a few minutes, both of them stood facing each other, but otherwise not communicating. Silently, Kimiko turned around and left, but not before giving him a sidelong glance.

Chase watched her leave with an unfathomable expression. In the year they had been fighting with each other, he had painted her as a silent, relentless, fury-driven wildcat with the strength and temper to match one. But within the fraction of the moment when she spoke, it changed everything. His image of her had completely shattered, giving way to another.

Brooding, he too turned around and disappeared into the darkness of his lair with the melted doll in hand, once again beginning to plot the downfall of the monks. The doll he would keep as a reminder of the times they had, nothing else. The clandestine friendship they had with each other was intact, but slightly broken. Perhaps more tests would render the damage null and void, but only time would tell.

Years had passed before they had met face to face once more. Chase stood from a the very edge of his lair's ledge, silently staring into the distance. Embers crackled, soaring with the wind. Chase's eyes narrowed and a corner of his mouth turned upward into a smirk as a familiar green dragon flew into view, dropping off a slim robe-clad figure before shrinking.

Kimiko stared at him though weary cerulean eyes. Neither of them spoke, both preferring to eye one another warily. Chase didn't appear to be a day older than 30-something years old, thanks to the Lao Mang Long soup.

Chase noted that Kimiko had considerably grown since the last time he really cared to look at her. He knew that her elemental skills had also progressed far beyond what he expected her to achieve while she was a Xiaolin monk, but that didn't stop him from doing the one thing he loved to do with her.

Kimiko frowned, strode past him, and ignited her hands before slamming them into the stone door. The rock cracked with the force of her blows, eventually giving ways. The dragon of fire huffed in frustration, stepped over the rubble, and continued into the lair, searching for her friends.

Chase tilted his head when he heard a squall of pain and smelled burning fur. Lightly chuckling, he too stepped over the detritus and stalked after her, preparing himself for the eventual martial arts showdown that would follow.

She hadn't spoke, but Chase didn't mind. It would take time to heal all wounds, but Chase had all the time in the world.

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><p>Did you know that revenge is technically ice cream? It's true. Revenge is both cold and sweet, empirically.<p>

Lao- Old (?)

Long- Dragon

...That's basically most of the Chinese I know.


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